Insights
Encountering Peace: A Sober Assessment
As long as the parties are talking, Israel can continue to say that its hand is outstretched in peace to its neighbors.
Interviews
Hamas deploys border patrol to prevent rocket attacks on Israel
A private channel of communication was set up by Gershon Baskin and Ghazi Hamad. Messages have also been exchanged this time that has resulted in Israel pledging not to target the Hamas force guarding the border, whereas Hamas has pledged to do more to prevent rocket fire.
Book Reviews
Gershon Baskin, The Negotiator: An Optimism Like I’ve Never Heard Before
Rather than painting Hamas as the monolithic enemy, Baskin retold tales of his personal meetings with members of Hamas and the diversity and nuance of their stances.
Insights
Encountering peace: The moment of truth
Netanyahu as the leader of the right wing in Israel is the ideal political leader to make the deal with the Palestinians.
Book Reviews
Seeking Peace Among the Warriors
The Negotiator: Freeing Gilad Schalit is the story of Gershon Baskin, who decided to act on his own, without government support, to free Schalit. Thus begins the extraordinary tale of one man and how his contacts on all sides of the bitter ideological-political divide eventually helped free the soldier.
Insights
Encountering Peace: Our Palestinians, their Jews
Examining some of the intricacies of the Israeli-Palestinian relationship through Netanyahu’s recent proposal to allow settlers who don’t withdraw, to remain in future Palestinian state.
Interviews
Encouraging Arab Entrepreneurs
Gershon Baskin works with Chemi Peres, the son of Shimon Peres to promote and encourage Arabs to put their hi-tech knowledge to use.
Interviews
A Shift in the Discourse about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Gershon Baskin thinks that the Palestinians are no different from the Israelis in that they too are willing to fight and die for a territorial expression of their identity. There is only one solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – two states for two peoples. As a Jew, a Zionist and a proud Israeli he wants to have prosperous and happy neighbours living in a state of their own, next to Israel, living side-by-side in peace.
Insights
Is grass-roots activism a viable alternative to Israeli-Palestinian peace process?
Gershon Baskin wishes that there was room for grassroots activities for peace, separate and joint, but it seems that the time is not yet ripe for that since although a majority of Israelis and Palestinians want peace, a majority on both sides, roughly the same size, does not believe that it is possible.
Interviews
IPCRI’s Headquarters: The Story of the Vatican’s Strategic Hill Between Jerusalem and Bethlehem Called Tantur
Gershon Baskin suggested to me in our interview at Tantur that he believed that the settlement of “Har Homa” with its homes could be offered to the Palestinians as part of land swaps, so that it could in effect become the New Bethlehem.